1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support structure for a toilet cover unit, by which the toilet cover unit that comprises a toilet seat and/or a toilet lid is supported while being raised or lowered freely against the toilet bowl main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the conventional support structure for toilet seats and/or toilet lids of this type, a device for cleaning facilitation by removal of the toilet seat or toilet lid from the toilet bowl has been proposed previously; an example of the known art is in the Japanese Patent Laying-open Gazette 61-49041 (1986). FIG. 23 is a perspective view drawing showing a western-style toilet bowl with some part of it cut away, and FIG. 24 is a lateral side drawing of and around a pivotable attachment part of the toilet seat and the toilet lid. In these figures, a western-style toilet bowl 500 is equipped with a sanitary washing unit 504 which has a wash water nozzle 502 to spray washing water. A toilet seat 508 is attached to the inside recesses of the main body 506 of the sanitary washing unit 504 by a pivotable shaft 512 so as to pivot freely. A toilet lid 520 is pivotably attached to the lateral surfaces of both ends of the pivotable shaft 512 by an elastically deformable attachment part 522. The attachment part 522 has a slide hole 526 which supports the pivotable shaft 512 so that it slides freely, and an opening 528 which is a cutaway matching the slide hole 526; the opening 528 is pressed open wider through elastic deformation to allow the pivotable shaft 512 to support the slide hole 526. The toilet lid 520 is thus pivotably attached to the main body 506 and detachable from the pivotable shaft 512 through the opening 528.
The attachment structure of the toilet lid 520, however, adopts the construction where the attachment part 522 is opened wider by the elastic deformation of the opening 528; therefore, the pivotable shaft 512 is difficult to be pressure-inserted into the opening 528 if the attachment part 522 is made excessively stiff for support whereas the strength of the attachment part 522 is degraded if the detachability of the toilet lid 520 is facilitated. Therefore, the construction of the attachment part 522 cannot simultaneously solve the problems of compatibility between a solid support and the facilitated attaching-detaching operations. Such problems as above also arise if the detachable structure of the toilet lid 520 is applied to the toilet seat 508.
A rotational-force resistance mechanism, where a resistant force is applied to the toilet seat, or the toilet lid, during pivotal movement in the lowering direction so as to descend slowly, has been known. This rotational-force resistance mechanism can improve the operational facility because the toilet seat or the toilet lid descends slowly when it is lowered.
However, no western-style toilet bowl which has both such a rotational-force resistance mechanism and a structure where the toilet seat or the toilet lid is easily attached and detached has been known.
The rotational-force resistance mechanism has a structure where the resistant force is generated through transmitting an applied energy of a spring or viscous resistance to the pivotable shaft; therefore, there has been a problem that trouble tends to be caused by the deformation of the parts such as the pivotable shaft if a large external force is applied to the toilet seat or the toilet lid and then transmitted to the pivotable shaft at the time of conveyance.